The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-09-03
The COST oE WAR.


The LOSSES In Our Late War Compared
with Those In other Struggles.
A Washington correspondent has been
comparing the statistics of the loss by
death of Union soldiers during the re-
bellion. with the mortality of other wars.
Reports show that the northern and
southern armies met in more than 1000
skirmishes and battles. In 14S of these
conflicts the loss on the Federal side was
more than 800 men, and in at least 10
battles moro than 10000 men were re-
ported lost on each side. The appended
table shows that the combined losses Of
the Federal and Confederate forces, in
killed, wounded and missing, in the fol-
lowing engagements were: Shiloh, 24,-
600; Antietam, $4,000; Stone river, 37,-
900; charlottesville, $4,000; Gettys-
burg, $4,000; Chickamauga, 33,000;
McClellan's peninsular campaign, 1s0,-
600, and Sherman's campaign, $4,000.
Waterloo was ono of the most desper-
ate and bloody fields chronicled in Euro
pean history, and yet Wellington's casu-
alties were less than 12 per cent, his
losses being 2,432 killed and 05S wounded
out of over 100, 900 men, while at Shiloh
one side lost in killed and wounded 0,740
out of $4,000, while their opponents re-
port their killed and wounded at 0,G16,
making the casualties about 30 per cent.
AT the great battle of Wagram Napoleon
lost but about per cent At Wurzburg
the French lost but 12 per cent, and
yet the army gave up the field and re-
treated to the Rhine. AT Racour Mar
shal Sake lost but 2 i-2 per cent. At
Zurich Massena lost but per cent. At
Lagriz Frederick lost but 1-2 per cent.
AT Malplaquet Marlborough lost but 10
per cent, and at Families the same in
trepid commander lost but per cent.
AT Contras Henry of Navarro was re-
ported as cut to pieces, yet his loss was
less than 10 per cent. At Lodi Napoleon
lost Ia per cent. At Valmy Frederick
William lost but per cent. and at the
great battles of Marengo and Austerlitz,
sanguinary as they were, Napoleon lost
an average of less than IA 1-2 per cent.
AT Magenta and Solferino, in 1850, the
average loss of both armies was less than
per cent. at Kon'grath, in 1866, it
was Q per cent. At VI oerth, Specheran,
Mars lie Tour, GraveloGte and Sedan, in
1870, the average loss was 12 per cent,
while at Linden Gen. Moreau lost but 4
per cent, and the Archduke John lost but
Z per cent in killed and wounded.
Americans would scarcely call this a
lively skirmish. AT Perryville, Murfrees-
boro, Chicamauga, Atlanta, Gettysburg,
Mission Ridge, the Wilderness and Spott-
sylvania, the loss frequently reached, and
sometimes exceeded, 40 per cent. Off
cial statistics show that of the 3,000,0 900
men enlisted, there were killed in battle,
44,23S; died of wounds, 40,2O5; died Of
disease, 1920; died of unknown
causes, "a, ,1S4; total, S03, ,S43. This in
cludes only those whose death while in
the army had been actually proved. To
this number should be added, first, &c.
900 men who are known to have died
while in the hands of the enemy as priso-
ners of war; and many others in the same
manner whose deaths are unrecorded;
second, fair percentage of the 205, ,794
men who are put down on the official
reports as deserters and missing in ac-
ton, for those who participated in the
war know that men frequently disap-
peared who, it was certain had not de-
serted, yet could not be otherwise otfic-
tally accounted for; third, thousands who
are buried in private cemeteries all over
the north, who died while home on fur
Tough. The nations dead are buried in
seyenty-three national cemeteries, of
which only twelve are in the northern
states.
1 The proportion Of deaths from all
causes in the troops of each state was as
follows: Maine, 1 in 7: New Hampsbire.
in Z; Vermont, in 6; Massachusetts,,
1 in 0; Rhode Island, 1 in II; Connecti-
cut, in 10; New York, in -; New
Jersey, 1 in 12; Pennsylvania, in 12;
Delaware, 1 in 90; Maryland, in 90;
Ohio, in o; Indiana, in s.; Illinois,
in z; Michigan, in 6; Wisconsin, in
4; Minnesota, 1 in s; Iowa, / in 5
(nearly G); Kansas, in 8; California,
1 in 20; West Virginia, in O.; Ken
tucky, 1 in 10; Missouri, in 0.-Cincin-
natl Commercial Gazette.